Construction of vestibules of armor-plate vaults.



G. L. DAMON. CONSTRUCTION OF VESTIBULES 0P ARMOR PLATE VAULTS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1907. 954,670, Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1,

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n; n YQ vrrr G. L. DAMON. CONSTRUCTION OF VESTIBULES 0F ARMOP. PLATE VAUL'IS.

APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1907. 954,670. Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

3 SHEETS-$33171 3.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

G. L. DAMON.

APPLIGATIOX FILED SEPT. 16, 1907.

CONSTRUCTION OF VESTIBULES 0P ABMOB PLATE VAULTS.

ANDRtw a Guam :0. Puuwuruoommua wummwm c c GEORGE L. DAMON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONSTRUCTION OF VESTIBULES OF ARMOR-PLATE VAULTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

Application filed September 16, 1907. Serial No. 393,179.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. Damon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Construction of Vestibules of Armor-Plate Vaults, of which the following is a specification.

It is common in bank vaults to embody in connection therewith a vestibule, through which access to the vault is obtained. These vestibules, which are made up of amultitude of angle and flat bars each fastened to a preceding layer or angle bar by screws, have secured at their outer portions by suitable fastening devices a door frame composed of layers as above described, for receiving the main door of the vault. As this main door is very heavy, weighing in most instances many tons, twisting strains, due to the open osition of the door, tend to loosen the seam between the layers forming the door frame and the vestibule sides, top and bottom to an extent admitting the introduction of explosives for forced entrance and the construction is expensive.

It has been ascertained that if the door frame and the vestibule are made in one integral piece, less expense is involved in the manufacture and the above objection will be obviated, as the weight of the vestibule will over-balance the weight of the door, thus taking the weight of the door off the fastening devices. It has also been ascertained that when the door frame is in the form of an integral inwardly-turned flange at the outer end of the vestibule, the rectangle forming the top, bottom and sides of the vestibule does not tend to move under the Weight of the door in a manner to elongate one diagonal of the vestibule and shorten the other, as when these parts are separate, for the reason that the integral transverse flange, forming the door fttlll'lP, stiffens the vestibule against such movements. I have further ascertained that the changing of the dimensions of the diagonals of the parallelograni forming the vestibule may be further prevented by forming outwardly extending transverse flanges at the inner end of the vestibule, these flanges being utilized to l to 1 indicates the vault body, from the form the front wall of the vault, thus dis pensing with-the usual weakness of joints at the connection of the vestibule to the front of the vault. The making of the front wall t and the vestibule integral has other advan tages, which will be apparent from the following remarks. The weight of the top of the vault is supported by the front wall, and, when the front wall and vestibule are made in separate pieces, neither acts to support the other, except through the medium of fastening devices, and, as a consequence, the fastening devices are subjected to great strains. Not only this, but the front wall, being divided by the vestibule, leaves that portion of the top over the vestibule insufliciently supported, thus imposing excessive strains on the side walls of the inner end of the vestibule and the adjacent edges of the front wall. The effect of these strains will be obviated, if the front wall and the vestibule are integral, as each acts as a flange to the other and takes part of the strains there of. These strains are also taken up by the inwardly-turned flange forming the door frame at the outer end of the vestibule.

It is advantageous to forge the vestibuleforming member rather than to east the same for the reason that the door-frame when cast, will by reason of its central opening, be placed under severe strains of tension, which when there is sufficient external force applied to develop a fracture or weakness about the fastenings, will have a tendency to open such fracture into a large crack.

With these and other objects in view. the invention consists of the parts and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central horizontal section through a vault, having a vestibule-forming member integral with the door frame. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the vestibule-forming member. Fig. 4 is a sec tion on the line 4 4 Fig. 5, showing a.

vault with the front wall formed integral with the vestibule-forming member. Fig.

is a central vertical section of the embodiment shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the vestibule-forming member shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and to the embodiment shown in Figs.

front wall of which projects the outer vestibule, composed of an integral forged member 2, which is rectangular in form and 1s CJi provided at its outer end with a transverse inwardly-turned flange 3 forming an integral door frame having an annular door seat 4 for a circular door The inner vertical walls of the vestibule-forming member are secured to the front wall of the vault body by fastening devices, such for instance as bolts it. while the upper and lower inner edges of the vestibule member are secured to the top and the bottom of the body re spwtively by wedge fastenings T of known construction.

Having its side walls secured to the inner face of the front wall by a suitable fastening device and projecting within the vault body is an integral inner vestibuleforming member 8, which is seated at its top and its bottom in the top 9 and the bottom 10 respectively of the vault body. This inner 'estilmle-forming member not only in creases the length of the vestibule of the vault. but it serves to support the top of the vault adjacent to the opening in the front wall of the body. A seat for a circular door it formed in this vestibule-forming member.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. 12 indicates the body, 13 the front wall thereof and 14- tbe vestibule-formiug member. The front wall is integral with the vestihule-forming member and is in the form of two transverse flanges extending outwardly from the sides of said member. The outer end of the vestilmle-formiug mem ber is provided with an integral inturned flange 1:"), which serves the door frame, being provided with a door seat 16 for a circular door 17. The vertical edges of the front-wall flange of the vestibule-forming member i provided with fastening means to cooperate with fastening means on the side walls to which it is secured, while the top and the bottom edges of the front wall and the vestiluile-forming member are provided with fastening means 19 for securing the said parts to the top and bottom of the vault body. The inner face of the frontwall flange also provided with fastening means 20 for coi'iperating with a fastening means on the vertical edges of the side walls of an inner vestibule-forming member 21. This member 21 is secured at 22 and 23 respectively to the top and the bottom of the vault body and acts like the similar member in the other embodiment to support the top of the vault. It is provided with a reetangular seat for an inner door 24. The idea of forming the door frame. vestibule and a wall of the vault in an integral structure is also employed in constructing the usual emergency door. The side wall is in the form of an integral outwardly-ex tending flange about. the emergency vestibule 26, which at its outer end is formed wlth an mturned integral flange 27 forming 1 the emergency door frame and provided with a seat 28 for the emergency door 29.

In both tanbtuliments, the vault body is surrounded by a fireproof wall 30 except at the door frames.

The method of forming each of the integrally flanged vestibiile-forniing members 14 and 527 which constitute the wall and vestibule structure either for the main door or for the emergency door, consists in providing a steel ingot of the thickness of the vestibule to be formed, forging said ingot to form the vestibule with a closed outer end, and. if the vestibule is to be integral with a wall of the. vault body, with outwardly extending flanges. The blank is now out or machined to provide the door opening and the fastening means, and is finally carburized or treated to make it ha rveyized nickel steel.

\Vhat I claim is 1. A earburized forged vault-member eonstituting the vestibule of the vault and provided with an integral inwardly turned flange having a door seat formed therein.

2. A vault comprising a. vault body, a forged member constituting the vestibule and extending from the vault body, and having at its outer end an integral transverse flange formed with a door seat, said member being constructed separately from the vault body and suitably secured thereto.

3. In a vault. a carburized forged vestibule-forming member having integral 011twaidly-extending transverse flanges at one end for forming the front wall of the vault.

l. carburized forged vault vestibuleforming member having integral outwardlyextending transverse flanges on opposite sides at one end thereof, and an integral inwardly-extending transverse flange at the other end, forn'ied with a door seat.

5. In a vault, a front wall having a vestibule forged integral therewith, a top wall, and means for fastening the top wall to thefront wall whereby said top wall is supported by the front wall.

(3. In a vault. a front wall, a forged outer vestibule-forming member, extending forwardly from the front wall, and an inner vestilmle-formiug member extending rear- *ardly from the front wall.

7. In a ault, top and bottom walls, a front wall. a forged vestibule men'iber, eX- teuding outwardly from said front wall. an integral inner-vestibule member extending inwardly from the front wall, and fastening means securing said inner vestibule member to the top and bottom walls and to the front wall.

8. In a vestibule vault: construction, a combined wall, vestibule and door frameforming member forgt-al from an ingot, and eon'iprising a rectangular vestibule portion having at one end an integral, inwardly turned flange provided with a door seat, and front wall portion of said member being said vestibule portion having at its other end provided with fastening means at the top, an outwardly turned integral flange with bottom and sides. fastening means and said vestibule portion The foregoing specification signed at 5 provided at its top, its bOiCtOHl and its sides, Pittsburg, Pa., this 3rd day of April, 1907. 15

with fastening means aca ted to so Jort the top of the vault. P pl GEORGE DAMON 9. In a vault, a forged vault-forming In presence of member constituting the front Wall and was L. T. SANDERS, l0 tibule of said vault combined integrally, the J. O. BILY. 

